Government pledges another round of work style reform as office lights stay on well past sunset
A reform effort with a very long track record of good intentions
Japanese officials have again pledged reforms to curb excessive overtime, according to coverage tracked by Nikkei Asia, reviving a work style reform push that has resurfaced periodically for years. Office workers, who have heard this particular pledge before, remain cautiously hopeful while also, quite reasonably, still at their desks well after sunset.
The gap between policy and the actual office lights
Labour ministry data continues to show persistent overtime hours in several sectors despite repeated reform campaigns, a pattern that workplace culture researchers attribute to deeply embedded norms rather than any lack of well-meaning legislation. Legislation, it turns out, is easier to pass than culture is to shift.
Companies experiment with incentives
Some employers have introduced mandatory early leaving days and lights-out policies, measures that early reports suggest work reasonably well right up until a deadline appears, at which point old habits reassert themselves with impressive speed.
Fazit
Another reform pledge filed, another set of office lights staying on a little longer than planned. For more workplace culture coverage across the region, visit Asia Times. SOURCE: https://asia.nikkei.com/ For more British satire on a related theme, see The London Prat’s Starmer’s Final EU Plan.
